Coroner raises concerns about ambulance triage of drug overdose A patient had taken a significant overdose, but emergency services didn’t initially prioritise the call because the drug he had taken was not on NHS Pathway’s “high risk” list.…
Scotland’s first drug-checking service postponed with no new opening date Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership said “there are a number of operational and technical complexities to work through” before the site could open.…
Scotland’s first drug-checking service to open as drug deaths rise by more than 10% According to National Records of Scotland data, the rate of drug use deaths recorded in 2025 is four times the rate observed in 2000 when current records began.…
Trust commissions benzodiazepine review following patient death A patient died by suicide after being permanently prescribed diazepam without a required medical review while awaiting a re-titration of her clozapine prescription.…
Best practice for prescribing drugs with dependence potential An overview of the considerations for prescribing medicines with the risk of dependency, including monitoring, discontinuation and the optimisation of therapeutic outcomes.…
Gabapentinoids found to increase risk of drug toxicity Researchers found that patients taking gabapentinoids with benzodiazepines were at double the risk of being hospitalised with drug poisoning, while combining the drug with opioids has a 30% increase in risk.…
Pharmacy research: driving safer outcomes in substance misuse Research offers a crucial opportunity in shaping healthcare policy and practice, particularly in the developing landscape of substance misuse.…
Health news round-up: Alzheimer’s treatment, retatrutide results and kidney cancer guidelines A weekly summary of important developments in pharmacy and health news that you may have missed.…
London’s first drug-checking service could expand to more cities Under the drug-checking service, users can submit substances for testing and will subsequently receive “anonymous, non-judgemental chat”, alongside tailored harm reduction advice.…
Government pledges support for more safer drug consumption facilities in ten-year alcohol and drug strategy The Scottish government's alcohol and drugs strategic plan for 2026–2035 also sets out plans to further expand the distribution of naloxone, including through community pharmacies.…
